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Dorothy Braunwart, 90

Dorothy Vaubel Braunwart, 90, of Othello, Wash., passed away Sept. 18, 2012, of natural causes.
She was born Dec. 15, 1921, in Wapakoneta, the second of four children born to Elsie and Herman Vaubel. On May 31, 1944, in Wapakoneta, she married Robert Braunwart.
Surviving are three sons, Kurt, of Othello, Wash., Eric, of Vancouver, Wash., and Tod, of Vancouver; 10 grandchildren; six great-grandchildren; a brother-in-law, Bob Byrne, of Shaker Heights; a sister-in-law, Claire Vaubel, of Ada; and many nieces and nephews in Ohio.
She was preceded in death by her husband; two brothers, Hermann Vaubel and George Vaubel; a sister, Martha Vaubel Byrne; a son, Robert; and a grandson, Kevin.
She grew up in the family home on Auglaize Street. They moved to Washington state in 1947 ending up in Moses Lake in 1952 and lived there until 2006. She moved to Othello, Wash. to stay with her son, Kurt, and family in 2006 where she lived until her passing. Dorothy was a founding member of the Columbia Basin Community Concert Association. She wrote the weekly newspaper column, “Just Everyday” about her four sons growing up in Moses Lake for the Columbia Basin Herald from 1954 through 1971. She also was the regional correspondent for the Spokane Chronicle, a published poet and an artist. She was involved in PTA, served as a board member on the Moses Lake Conservation District, was a member of the Friends of the Library, a benefactor and volunteer for the Moses Lake Museum of Art and Culture, and a long time parishioner at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church in Moses Lake.
In 1952 Bob and Dorothy built their house on Moses Lake. This family home and the lake shaped Dorothy’s love of nature and art, inspired her poetry, and were integral parts of raising her family. Dorothy had a flair for the descriptive and was able to paint a vivid picture with a few well chosen words. She wrote of the sunsets, her love for her husband, the antics of her children, and how she nurtured and guided them through each day. She had a special gift that encouraged and inspired others to appreciate the experiences she had penned. She had a very personal, quiet side that pondered philosophy, studied Napoleon, the paintings of Degas, or what it meant to just watch her sons sail on the lake. She was able to bring art, nature and her family together in a way that brought a truly new philosophy to the high desert she grew to love, and call home. These caring thoughts that she shared with many people in the community are what we will truly remember her for.
A rosary will be said in her memory at 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Othello, Wash. Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 a.m. Monday at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church, 200 N. Dale Road in Moses Lake, followed by internment at Pioneer Memorial Garden. A reception will follow at the Moses Lake Church. Please sign the online guestbook or leave a note for the family at kayserschapel.com
Arrangements are in care of Kayser’s Chapel & Crematory, Moses Lake.
Dorothy would have wanted any gifts in her memory to be donated to The Nature Conservancy Washington Program, 1917 1st Avenue, Seattle, Wash.